I remember standing with Jan on the rock formation that makes up the Areopagus in Athens, Greece. This is where Paul addressed the people of the city 2,000 years ago. As I stood on the rock, I tried to imagine how Paul might have spoken to the Athenians. 

As Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him in Athens, “He was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city” (Acts 17:16). Even in Paul’s disgust of what he saw, he yielded his troubled mind to the leading of the Spirit.  On our visit to Athens, we were told by the person leading us through the city that Athens was known in Paul’s day as the city of 10,000 gods. Athens was a city where an “anything goes” attitude prevailed, even the worship of demons. Each home had multiple idols on display. The “Unknown God” idol was a catch-all in case they missed one.

During his visit, Paul went to the synagogue to speak with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles. He also went into the public space of the Areopagus and spoke to “all who happened to be there” (vs. 17).

“He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, ‘What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?’” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.” (vs. 18).

Paul’s message was intriguing and became an item of curiosity to the Athenians. After Paul spoke, “They took him to the high council of the city” (vs. 19). In Paul’s troubled tour of Athens, he noticed a statue dedicated to “The Unknown God” among the thousands of other idols representing false gods. He used that statue as a way to share the message of Jesus with the city officials.

As Paul spoke to the city leaders, he didn’t sugarcoat his message. Paul spoke of Jesus who would someday judge all things. Paul’s message had mixed results, “When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, ‘We want to hear more about this later’” (vs. 32). As a result of what Paul spoke, “Some joined him and became believers” (vs. 34).

Jesus did not call us to be so diplomatic that our attempts at diplomacy would blur the distinctive message of Jesus. That kind of weak diplomacy is the extension of a political spirit where diplomacy works through the influence of compromise. In that failed attempt, the clear message of Jesus becomes just another god in the pantheon of cultural gods. The Lord has called us to wisely speak the truth empowered by the courage of His love. It will step over the compromise of earthly diplomacy to reveal His truth. Some of those hearing what we say will believe, others will respond with contempt and mockery. 

When spoken with wisdom and conviction, the message of Jesus Christ may take us into the highest courts of our land where the Unknown God of our day will be revealed. When we speak of the Lord in those moments, we don’t speak to gain an earthly compliance that displays Jesus as just another religious ornament to place on the mantle of our lives. We are called to share a message that will challenge the results of a diplomatic spirit that has numbed a culture into compliance with things contrary to God and His Kingdom.